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My Choices for Self-Catering Accommodation in Spain

There surely are no shortage of accommodation of all kinds and although a Hotel in Spain is often the first choice amongst vacationers, there are indeed so many options. One of my favorites is the freedom offered by self-catering accommodation. I like that I can walk around in my PJ’s all day in a spacious apartment and cook up a Mediterranean storm, when my budget is too low for frequent restaurant eating. Especially during longer breaks and vacations such as my last trip to Valencia.

Three friends and I rented a two-bedroom holiday apartment for two weeks, which is in fact a five-sleeper, saving us quite a bit of money. We stayed at the La Malvarosa in Valencia with magnificent sea views and paid for a two-week stay what it would have cost us to sleep 3 nights each in a hotel. You often get vacationers who complain about high costs of self-catering, but in fact it is a tremendous money-saver, that is my believe anyway, unless you want a massive Spanish mansion.

Another very affordable option is the Golden Mile apartments in Marbella, also a two-bedroom and five-sleeper; it also has two bathrooms and toilets, which I particularly like as most has only one bathroom. My suggestion to you is to research before you leave and not leaving it to the last minute either. You will often find private listings directly from the owners, which is my preference as you save by cutting agents from the negotiation. That only takes an Internet search, or try one of these websites: spain-holiday.com, ownersdirect.co.uk, holidaylettings.co.uk, or colorsofspain.com. I hope you find this helpful and enjoy your stay!

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My Rioja Wine Experience

I have to admit I am not much of an alcoholic beverage drinker, but when I do indulge, I love my wine. Spain’s historic and famed wine is Rioja and on one of my visits to Madrid, a friend invited me on a wine tasting trip. We set off one morning by train to a medieval city I have never been to before, Valladolid.

There we met with our wine-guide where he took us to several wineries growing the predominant grape, tempranillo along Duero River. Wine tasting as well as a visit to the Emina wine museum, and yes, which is how the Spanish revere their wines, they have a dedicated museum.

That night we stayed over in yet another town I had not yet discovered during my visits, Penafiel, in a magnificent renovated monastery, what an experience! We tasted or were supposed to compare wines from Ribera Del Duero and Rioja, but unfortunately, I have to admit I am not enough of a connoisseur to have truly appreciated the signifying difference. Different yes, but equally great although the master tasters referred to the various incarnations of the wine, I simply sipped and enjoyed he awesome experience of ancient towns and exploring unknown cities.

Haro was also one of our stops where we visited a boutique winery, but at that point, I was more interested in seeing the actual Storks that nest in the rooftops and steeples in the city. Our final stop before returning to Madrid was to the port city of Bilbao for a stroll along the river and me nursing a slight wine hangover.

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My Coastal Walk From Sant Feliu de Guixols to Begur

I want to share my walking adventure with two dancing friends with you today that encompassed the magnitude and extraordinary beauty of my fascinating Spain. The route took us from Sant Feliu de Guixols along spectacular coastal scenery of the Costa Brava. We had a guide that took us along paths known as “Cami de Ronda”, which in essence were ancient smugglers’ paths. Our first walk was to Palamos, which included a headland and coastal walk, a five-hour casual walk along picturesque bays.

If you had to travel by car, I have no idea how long it would take as our paths were a 13 km distance and although we are fit, it would be easy for anyone who is walking fit. Obviously, we had many stops along the way that is the whole idea after all, not to walk fast, but truly experience the magnificent Costa Brava bays. We overnight at the house of a long-time friend living in Palamos I met years ago.

The next morning we set out for our second walk to Llafranc, another easy 13 km and I honestly cannot describe in words just how stunning the scenery was or how pretty and charming the village is. We overnight in the quaint family-owned Hotel Llevant and scrumptious fresh seafood washed down with local wines.

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The Real Spain Few are Privileged to Experience

One of my most authentic Spanish experiences was in Aragon with a British host, who much as myself has a profound passion and knowledge for Spanish culture, history, cuisine, and wine. My weekend stay in an intimate, beautiful hotel surrounded by fragrant gardens on a hillside that overlooks the river valley over to mountains beyond have unparalleled views, an experience never forgotten.

For the first time I experienced Spain with the locals, like the locals, the real Spain. The weekend was a whirlwind of exploration of the Matarranya region and hidden gems you do not find on travel guides. From folk music and dancing to traditional fiestas I was treated like a local, I was Spanish. Hermitages on hillsides overlooking patchworks of pine forests, vines, almonds, olives gastronomy was still preserved in this magnificent region. Our excursion to Ebro Delta confirmed this observation when we visited rice-growing fields, mussel and oyster beds as well as the Tortosa market.

This natural paradise is set against the magnificent backdrop of the Puertos de Beceite National Park, renowned for wild orchids, eagles, and rivers with spectacular waterfalls. The food I ate over that weekend was a foodies’ heaven with all organic vegetable grown in the hotels own gardens. Authentic regional dishes with one of the best tastes I ever experienced, artichokes with clams, and guess what, I got the recipe from the chef.

I was completely captivated during my short stay and left with an experience I wish each one of you would be privy to in your lifetime.

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Five Day Culinary Holiday

With my love for Mediterranean cuisine and Spain, it seemed an obvious choice to attend a Culinary Holiday at some point. Yes, there are plenty to choose from among a myriad of Culinary Schools if you do not or cannot attend years of training. I chose the Seville and Beyond, in Seville, through Active Gourmet Holidays.

You could picture this girl in her element; I am sure, in the fascinating Seville getting hands-on cooking classes from an authentic Mediterranean master. My first day was spend freshening in my Seville hotel and hurrying down before the scheduled tapas tour. We visited some of the great bars in town, tasted a variety of foods from vegetable, meat and fish tapas, and obviously washed it down with wines from the region.

Day two the chef fetched me from the hotel along with two other five-day students and we did some shopping at the local fresh produce market for ingredients, which he said we would use that day. The classes are incredibly informal and very hands-on as the three of us were taken to the chef’s private home.

We received recipes of typical Spanish dishes that day and cooked with the chef, Chicken with saffron and almonds, Gazpacho, and whole fish in salted crust and lemon. Obviously, we enjoyed our own meals for the day on the terrace that overlooked the Seville Cathedral and lovely local red wine.

The rest of the days flew past at a tremendous pace with cooking, a visit to local ham producing from where the pigs are bred and reared, to the hanging and curing of ham, fascinating. That day specifically we cooked and tasted Presa Iberica, which is a grilled pork shoulder with seasonal veggies.

We did not cook again, but went on two days of unbelievable sightseeing through the eyes of locals. We went for a boat trip through Cadiz bay, lovely wines on equally lovely beaches. Our fifth day was completed by an extraordinary visit to a traditional bakery, where we even participated in baking bread and got to take our own bread with us. Then we continued to a cheese factory in Grazalema and completed the day with a tour of an olive oil mill.

I left Seville the next morning and could continue to tell you a zillion magnificent experiences during those five short days, but now while I am blogging about that trip, my mind wanders to my recipes. My stomach grumbles, the kitchen is calling, some Spanish food coming up soon!

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Barcelona, Spain September 2015

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Generalife’s gardens. In the Alhambra (Granada, Spain).

I did this acrylic painting as a present for a friend. I hope you like it!

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heat of spain.

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Backpacker’s Paradise

The multifaceted layers of Spain are something I have tried unravelling through years of frequent travelling through some of its most famous and unknown little corners. From Festivals, mountains, beaches, scenic nature, to deep gorges, magnificent historical structures and architecture, hot springs and crystalline water of blue lagoons, snorkeling and discovering of hidden caves form part of my exploring.

Living in the lap of luxury while backpacking in Spain is definitely not something that should be high on your agenda. Basics that offers you a comfortable bed and clean sheets recharge your electronic devices, some Wi-Fi to catch up on your blogging and communications, social media update, and you are good to go. Let me share some great and very affordable boutique hotel and hostels in Spain, with my first choice, the Orange Habitaciones, one of Valencia’s finer boutique hotels, with all the luxuries and superb service I wanted, yet great for my budget.

In the Basque Country, visit the Casona DE Quintana a magnificent boutique hotel in the secluded valley of Cantabria with magnificent mountain views, waiting for you to explore. Recharge you batteries, literally and figuratively before you hike those mountain trails and do not forget your binoculars, as it is a bird watchers paradise.

Muga De Beloso in Pamplona in the mountainous Navarre countryside offers the ideal place for backpackers a well-deserved recharge to sooth stiff legs in their tranquil Spa and minimalist rooms, which include free Wi-Fi, free soft drinks, and a library.

Black Swan is the only place a backpacker needs on a budget while in Barcelona. You are in the midst of the vibrant Barcelona while paying very little for a warm bed, clean bathrooms and of course my favorite technology, free Wi-Fi. I hope you find this as valuable as I have enjoyed sharing it with you!

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The Mass Grave, 1945

Pablo Picasso

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Picasso Light drawing

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The Man behind the wheel

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Captivating and Contagious Family Holiday

If I haven’t captivated your interest in Spain yet, I have missed my edge here in relaying the true essence of this unique and contagious culture, which encompass my beloved Spain. I have touched on quick student breaks and tranquil beaches, but believe me I am not quite dead boring in my choice destinations as I might have portrayed.

Magnificent family holidays across all age groups, couples, and groups, the cities across Spain all offer the delectable Mediterranean cuisine, intriguing historical sites, and architectural treasures and rich culture. Malaga being the destination for culture vultures, which is also Spain’s’ oldest city, you might recognize as the historic home of Picasso, enthralls artistic buffs with galleries and museums and the famous Moorish Castle. From Malaga to Madrid, which is one of my favorite with the grandeur of the museums district, churches, castles, and cathedrals to magnificent Granada holidays. Granada is a multifaceted city with a lot to offer, from charming churches, ancient and imposing cathedrals you are in a history that is far reaching with grand plazas and of course enveloped by the peaks of the Sierra Nevada.

The vibrancy and allurement of Spain’s beach holidays remain prominent across all ages and cultures, as you will experience from the vast selections of tourists that travel to Spain. Surfers, divers, sun worshippers have a spectacular burgeoning surfing scene, sandy perfections and beach activities for all ages along the many coastal destinations. The beaches of Majorca and Ibiza with its expanses of brilliant, white sand we pine for all year, paired with stunning landscapes and to round it all off, vibrant nightlife.

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Barcelona by barcelona_barcelona

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That time I went on an impulsive citytrip to Barcelona

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On a Budget in Barcelona

During our last break, I went to Barcelona for a 6-day stay with a friend and we tried to stay as economically as possible without actually camping. We still wanted the normal luxuries, which included a decent bed, and great location would be welcomed and decided a B & B would be our best bet.

The Casa Marcelo Barcelona was a referral we received from another friend of ours and right in the center of Barcelona in the trendy Borne district. We stayed on the third floor of a beautiful 19th century building and found Borne to be full of cafes, restaurants, bars, trendy boutiques and a great atmosphere. The ideal neighborhood for two girls to have a few days of relaxation, plus only 10-minutes’ walk down to La Barceloneta beach.

Getting back to our actual accommodation, our B & B was a cozy, intimate, and clean double room, en-suite bathroom and a street-view of Borne with its lively bustle. Did I mention they threw in a full free breakfast in the deal, made by the owner, himself? It was a great few days, and I will go back there any day, but I am going to tell you about two or three more, keep in mind the Casa Marcelo Barcelona only has five rooms.

My other choice for you to stay on budget, but style, is Bonic B & B, also centrally located, right off Las Ramblas with all its restaurants, shops and bars, but inside a quiet apartment building. Clean double room and although it is communal bathrooms, it is spotless.

The Patio Barcelona is across the metro station so you cannot complain about location, with its main selling point the lovely hosts. Free continental breakfast, great comfortable beds with firm mattresses, lovely bathrooms, and tranquil communal outdoor seating, I suggest you give it a try.